Suction cleaning tools



Oct. 1, 1957 c. c. COONS 2,807,824

SUCTION CLEANING TOOLS Filed May s, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /7 J j: 2 I v 25 I /6 36 43 4 2/ 38 Oct. 1, 1957 c. c. cooNs 2,807,824

SUCTION CLEANING TOOLS Filed May 3,1955 2 Shets-Sheet 2 90; W i h A "In/hi" Z;

2,807,824 Patented Oct. 1, 1957 fiice SUCTION CLEANING TooLs Curtis C. Coons, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 3, 1955, Serial No. 505,690

7 Claims. (Cl. 15-359) The present invention relates to surface cleaning tools used with suction cleaners.

An object of the invention is to provide a cleaning tool having a propelling Wand connected to a nozzle, and supporting wheels movable 'to one position to transmit the wand propelling force directly to the wheels to pro vide a floating nozzle and movable to another position to apply the force directly to the nozzle whereby the latter exerts pressure on the surface to be cleaned. Another object is to provide a cleaning tool having supporting wheels shiftable to a position coaxially with the handle pivot to receive the thrust from the handle where- 'by the surface cleaning means is adjusted by engagement with the surface to be cleaned, and the wheels are movable to a position rearwardly of the handle pivot so that the handle thrust is transmitted directly to the surface cleaning means to force the latter against the surface to be cleaned. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a section along the line 1-1 of Figure 3 and shows the wheels positioned coaxially with the wand pivot. to absorb the propelling force and with the brush unlocked.

Figure 2 is a similar view but shows the wheels positioned rearwardly of the pivotal axis of the wand, where by the force applied thereto is transmitted to the nozzle and brush, the latter being locked in extended position, and

Figure 3 is a section along the line 33 in Figure 1.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a body provided with an elongated nozzle 11 having a mouth 12 defined by front and rear surface engaging lips 13-14 and slightly downwardly projecting nozzle supporting end lips 15-15. A wall 16 cooperates with the nozzle rear wall 17 to form a brush chamber 18 extending substantially the length of the nozzle mouth 12. Disposed in the housing 18 is a brush 19 having bristles 20 mounted in a back 21 provided with spaced shoulders 22 vertically movable in spaced recesses 23 in the housing wall 17, and spaced plates 24 are attached to the wall 17 below the recesses 23 by rivets 25 to engage the shoulders 22 and limit the projection of the bristles 20 beyond the nozzle mouth 12. A pair of compression springs 26 are supported between pins 27 in the housing top wall 28 and pins 30 on the brush back 21. The springs 26 at all times resiliently force the bristles outwardly beyond the nozzle mouth 12 for engagement with the surface 31 to be cleaned, and the shoulders 22 engage the stop plates 24 to limit the projection of the bristles 20.

A brush locking member 34 has a pair of aligned hearing portions 35 rotatably mounted in brackets 36 secured to the back wall 16 of the brush housing, and an off set locking bar 37 between the aligned bearings 35 is engageable with a pair of lugs 38 on the brush back 21. A handle 40 at one end of the member 34 is provided to rotate the latter through 180. In Figures 1 and 3 the handle 40 is arranged upwardly and the locking bar 37 is out of engagement with the lugs 38 to permit the brush 19 to move upwardly against the force of the springs 26, and in Figure 2 the handle 40 has been rotated 180 downwardly to cause the locking bar 37. to engage the lugs 38 and maintain the bristles 20 extended beyond the nozzle mouth 12.

Fixed to the opposite ends of the brush housing rear wall 16 by brackets 43 are two rearwardly extending spaced lever arms 44. A substantially U-shaped bail 46 has its ends 47 pivotally mounted on bearings 48 attached to the spaced lever arms 44 by screws 49. Extending through the bight 50 of the bail 46 and suitably secured thereto is a rigid tubular socket 51 to one end of which is attached a flexible hose 52 connected at 53 to the body 10 and incommunication with the nozzle mouth 12. The opposite end of the tubular socket 51 is adapted to removably receive a rigid wand 54 which is connected to the source of suction in a suction cleaner and also acts as the handle to propel the tool over the surface being cleaned.

A wheel bracket 55 has a pair of spaced arms 56 each provided with a pair of spaced channels 57 to slidably receive the lever arms 44, and an end member 59 connects the spaced arms 56 and is provided with a tab 60 for the operators hand to move the bracket 55 relative to the lever arms 44. Aligned supporting wheels 61 are each rotatably mounted on a pin 62 secured to the bracket arms 56 by rivets 63. In order to lock the wheel bracket 55 in two operative positions to arrange the wheels 61 coaxially with the wand pivot 48 as shown in Figure. 1 or rearwardly of the pivot as shown ni Figure 2, a latch lever 64 is pivoted on a pin 65 mounted onone of the lever arms 44 and has a hook 66 for engagement. with either one of spaced slots 67 and 68 in one of the channels 57. A torsion spring 69 about the pin 65 biases the lever 64 counterclockwise to place the hook 66 into engagement with the slots 6768, and a tab 69 on the lever 64 receives theoperators finger to rotate the lever 64' clockwise and unlock the bracket from the lever arms When using the tools for cleaning bare floors or carpeted surfaces where it is unnecessary to apply pressure on'the bristles 20 and nozzle mouth 12 to remove dirt, the locking member 34 is rotated to the position shown in Figures 1 and 3, whereby the brush 19 is urged against the surface by the force of the springs 26 which permit the brush 19 to adjust itself for different type of rug piles to lightly engage the latter.

Assuming the wheel bracket 55 is in the position shown in Figure 2, the operator depresses the tab 69 to rotate the latch lever 64 and lift the hook 66 out of the recess 67 to release the wheel bracket 55 which is then telescoped inwardly of the lever arms 44 to the position shown in Figure 1, and the torsion spring 69 rotates the lever 64 to place the hook 66 in the recess 68 to lock the Wheel bracket 55. In the locked position of the wheel bracket 55 shown in Figure 1 the wheels 61 are arranged coaxially with the pivotal axis 48 of the wand 54. In this coaxial position of the wheels 61 and wand 54 the force applied to the latter to propel the tool over the surface to be cleaned is transmitted to the wheels 61 and then to the surface 31, whereby the nozzle 11 is free to pivot about the axis 48 of the wheels and Wand to vertically adjust the nozzle mouth 12 and bristles 20 with respect to the surface being cleaned.- The nozzle 11 in effect floats on the surface and automatically adjusts itself for variations in carpet piles so that the nozzle mouth 12 and the bristles 20 lightly engage the surface being cleaned. Regardless of the force applied to the wand 54 the nozzle mouth 12 does not dig into the carpets since such force is transmitted to the wheels 61, and thus a relatively small force is required to propel the nozzle over the surface. The flexible conduit 52 allows the wand 54 to be oscillated and conveys the dirt laden air from the nozzlemouth to the wand and then to the suctioncleaner where the dirtis removed from the air stream. The brush 19 can be locked in projected position by rotating the-member 34 to shift the bar37 into engagement with the lugs 38 on the brush back 21.

If it is. desired to exert pressure on a surface to remove dirt therefrom the locking member 34 is. rotated downwardly to shift the bar 37 into engagement with the lugs 38 to thereby rigidly maintain the bristles 20 in the extend'edposition shown in Figure 2. The lever 64' is depressed to release the.hook 66 from the slot 68 and the handle 60' is grasped to telescope the wheel bracket 55 towards the rear of, the lever arms 44 to position the wheels 61 rearwardly of thepivotal axis 48 of the wand 54 as shown, in Figure 2.

In this'position, ofthe wheels 61 relative to the pivotal axis 48 of the wand 54, the, force applied to the latter is transmitted to the lever arms 44 and thus to the nozzle 11 and causes. the nozzle mouth 12 and the bristles 20 to bear against the surface to be cleaned with a pressure depending upon the force applied to the Wand. The bristles 20 thus scrub thesurface 31 to. dislodge the dirt which is. then removed by the suction air stream passing through the nozzle mouthIZ, hose 52 and wand 54 to the suction cleaner.

While Ihave shown and. described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is to betaken as illustrative only and not in a limiting. sense. I- do not wish to: be limited. to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim;

1. A suction cleaning tool comprising a body, a surface engaging nozzle on said' body, a propelling wand connecting said nozzle. to a source of suction, means pivotally support-ingsaid wand on. saidJbody, body supporting wheels, and force transmitting meansmovablysupported on. said. body and mounting said. wheels on, said body for movement. toa position coaxial with the pivotal axis of said' wand for transmitting the force applied to said wanddirectly to said wheels and allow said nozzle to move about said wand pivot relative to the surfaceto be cleaned,, and said force transmitting meansrnova'ble to another position to arrangesaid wheels. rearwardly of said want pivot whereby the force applied to said wand is transmitted to said nozzle and thus to the surface to be cleaned.

2. A suctioncleaning tool as described in claim 1, and a brush mounted on said body formovement with said nozzle.

3. A surface cleaning tool as described in claim 1, and means supporting said force transmitting means on said body for slidable displacement of said wheels to said positions coaxial with the handle pivot and rearwardly thereof, and means for locking, said wheels in either of said positions.

4. A surface cleaning tool comprising a body, surface cleaning means on said body, a handle to propel said body over the surface to be cleaned, means pivotally supporting said handle on said body, body supporting Wheels, and force transmitting means mova'bly supported on said body and mounting said wheels on said body for movement to a position coaxial with the pivotal axis of said handle for transmitting the force applied to" said propelling, handle to said wheels and allow said cleaning means. to move about said handle pivot relative to the surface to be cleaned, and said force transmitting means movable to. another position to arrange said wheels rearwardly of said handle pivot whereby the force applied to said handle is transmitted directly to said surface cleaning means and thus to the surface to be cleaned.

5. A. surface cleaning. tool as described in claim 4, and. said surface cleaning means; including a nozzle, and means connecting said nozzle to a source of suction.

6; A surface cleaning tool as described in claim 4, and said. surface cleaning means including a surface engaging brush.

7-. A surface cleaning tool as described inclaim 4, and: said surface cleaning means including a brush and a nozzle, and. means connecting said nozzle to a source of suction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,386,820 Watkins Aug. 9, 1921 2,280,269 Sparklin Apr. 21,. 1942 2,283,428 Ellis May 19, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 707,366 Great Britain Apr. 14, 1954 1,071,394 France Mar. 3, 1954 

